Man jailed for six months after bomb hoax at Victoria station

Sherdil Khan Niazai called 999 claiming he had placed a bomb inside a bin at Victoria station Rex

A man has been jailed for six months after claiming to have put a bomb inside a rubbish bin at Victoria station.

Sherdil Khan Niazai, 20, pleaded guilty at Westminster Magistrates' Court on August 19 to making a bomb hoax by communicating false information.

The court heard the previous day, Niazai, of Blackhorse Road, Walthamstow, made a number of calls to 999, firstly asking to be deported back to his native Afghanistan.

He was told to clear the line by emergency operators and half an hour later, called 999 again and said he had placed a bomb in a rubbish bin on the main concourse of Victoria station.

Niazai was arrested at his home within an hour of making the call and was jailed for 26 weeks on the day he entered his plea, along with being ordered to pay £180 in court costs.

Detective Sergeant Helen Parsfield, from British Transport Police, said: “In the current climate of heightened terrorist threat, bomb hoaxes represent an unnecessary distraction for the police and security services.

“This case sends a clear message that if you carry out a bomb hoax you will be swiftly caught, arrested and brought to justice through the courts.

“Niazai was a time waster, motivated by a desire to be deported back to his homeland, rather than any genuine terrorist beliefs.

“Thankfully his calls were categorised as such and therefore no disruption was caused to rail services at Victoria. However, that should not detract from the severity of this malicious crime and the waste of valuable police resources used to deal with it.”

Standard security procedures were followed at the station after the call, but the concourse was not evacuated.